Raymond Terletsky would be proud!

"A peopled place is not always a community, but regardless of the bonds formed with it, a common history is being lived out" (Lucy Lippard's Sweet Home p. 24).

As I reflect not only upon my journey but also my connection with English 380, I realize that as a class we were able to create a microcosmic community of sorts in which we too lived a common history. Unlike what the aforementioned quote suggests, we in fact were able to form bonds within our class. Whether they be bonds with one another, our teacher or with the works we read, they are bonds nonetheless.
Over the course of several weeks we studied a wide array of literature, all of which was woven with the common thread of place and belonging. As a class we learned how a person's sense of place, community and belonging can be influenced by their relationship to a particular location. We discussed not only more historical, collective and fact-oriented approaches to understanding place, but also more personal, individual perspectives. Through our readings as a class, I believe we each began to question, create as well as enhance our own unique history and relationships with Edmonton. As our class discussions evolved over the duration of the semester, it became more and more evident that each and every one of us was beginning to express greater senses of pride, appreciation and respect for Edmonton as a city. I truly believe that our own specific and personal interests in Edmonton have come to fruition as a result of the term papers we have each chosen to write.
I can only imagine what it will be like for Dr. Zwicker to pour over our pages, our words, our history and the histories of places around us in the next few days. These words represent our Edmonton and what it means to us-- the mythic power of English 380's class of winter 2009.